CHAPTER 35: NOW YOU KNOW WHY I GOT MAD

(Aiden’s POV)

I was so pissed I didn’t even know how to react. My hands were shaking not from anger anymore, but from something worse. Something I’d buried so deep I’d almost convinced myself it wasn’t there.

Cassian finally spoke, voice small, eyes still locked on the floor. "If you don’t like Leonel... then are you mad because I didn’t tell you about... this?" He touched the mark on his neck again, fingers brushing the purple bruise like it was proof of something he still didn’t fully understand.

At least he was getting close. But no that wasn’t it either.

I let out a long, ragged sigh and looked straight into his eyes. Then, without thinking, I shifted knees hitting the dusty floor, body leaning in until I was just inches from his face. He smelled like sleep and cheap shampoo and Leonel.

"Guess I gotta show you," I muttered, voice rough. "’Cause that’s how dumb you are."

He blinked up at me, confused. "Aiden...?"

Was he not even bothered by how close I was? Probably not. He was used to me hovering always there, always safe, always just... Aiden. The guy who cracked jokes and fixed his coffee and never asked for anything back.

Well, not anymore.

I needed to do something he wasn’t used to. Something that’d make him feel it.

So I shoved his chest hard.

He fell back with a soft "oof," eyes wide as I crawled over him, planting my hands on either side of his head like I owned the space above him. My face hovered just centimeters from his. I could feel his breath hitch.

"W-what are you doing, Aiden? You’re too close -"

I kissed him.

Not gentle. Not sweet. Just took it mouth crashing into his before he could finish his sentence. His lips were soft, warm, slightly parted in shock. I didn’t give him time to think. Just deepened it, tongue sliding in before he could protest.

His eyes flew open. Wide. Terrified. Beautiful.

He started tapping my arm weakly, the other hand pressing against my chest like he was trying to push me away but it was half-hearted, trembling. He was out of breath already.

I pulled back just enough to watch him gasp for air, lips swollen, face flushed red. His mouth hung open, chest rising fast.

And I didn’t care.

I dove back in.

This time, his mouth was open so I slipped my tongue inside, swirling against his, slow and deliberate. He made a noise half whimper, half moan and his hands went slack for a second before tightening again.

I slid one hand down his side, over his hip, and pressed my palm flat against the front of his pants.

He squirmed.

A soft, broken sound escaped him. His eyes were watery, unfocused, lips parted around my name. And damn... he looked stunning . No wonder Leonel couldn’t resist.

So that’s what he got to see before me .

I pulled back again, breathing hard myself. Cassian was trembling under me, chest heaving, cheeks burning.

"A-Aiden... why would you -" he started, voice shaky.

I didn’t let him finish.

My eyes flicked to Leonel’s mark. Then to the other side of his neck clean, untouched.

Perfect.

I bent down and licked his collarbone, slow and deliberate. Then dragged my tongue up his throat, feeling his pulse jump under my lips. His back arched off the floor.

I grabbed his shoulder, pinning him down, and kissed his neck once, twice, three times. Soft at first. Then harder.

"A-Aid... that-f-feels weird" he gasped, trying not to moan. His fingers tangled in my shirt.

I smirked against his skin. "Weird good or weird bad?"

I sucked hard right over his pulse and bit down just enough to make him squeak.

"That hurts !" he yelped, grabbing my hair.

I ignored him. Bit harder. Then soothed the spot with my tongue, slow and warm.

When I finally pulled back, I saw it: a fresh, dark red mark blooming beside Leonel’s. Mine. Deeper. Better.

I smirked. "Now you know why I got mad," I said, voice low and rough. "Now you know what I’ve been feeling. How much I’ve been controlling myself not to do this."

I pressed my thumb lightly over the new hickey.

He hissed. "Guess I bit it too hard," I muttered, suddenly guilty. I kissed his cheek instead—soft, quick. "Sorry."

He blushed harder, eyes darting away. "G-get off me... I get it, I -"

Before he could finish

Footsteps .

Sharp. Fast. Coming down the aisle.

We both froze.

My blood turned to ice.

Cassian’s eyes went wide with panic. "Aiden -"

I didn’t move. Couldn’t. My hands were still on him, my body still caging him in, our breaths still tangled in the dusty air.

The footsteps stopped.

Right at the end of the shelf.

A shadow fell across the floor.

Someone was watching.

And I had no idea who the hell it was.

The footsteps stopped.

Then Leonel stepped into view.

He took in the scene in one slow, sweeping glance me still crouched over Cassian, my hands braced on either side of him, Cassian’s lips swollen, his neck now sporting *two* marks: Leonel’s deep purple bruise... and my fresh, angry red one, glistening faintly from where I’d licked it.

Leonel didn’t yell. Didn’t lunge.

He just sighed long and tired like he’d been expecting this all along.

He ran a hand through his hair, then reached out, grabbed the front of my shirt, and yanked me off Cassian without ceremony. I let him. Didn’t fight it.

Cassian sat up slowly, dazed, fingers brushing the new hickey like he couldn’t believe it was real. His face was still flushed, eyes glassy, breath uneven. He looked wrecked. Beautiful. Confused.

Leonel crouched in front of us, eyes locked on the mark I’d left. "Damn," he muttered, tracing it lightly with his thumb. "You bit him hard."

I rolled my eyes and looked down. "I know."

Cassian didn’t say anything. Just sat there, lost in his own head. I could almost hear the thoughts spinning saying "Why didn’t I push him away? why did this happen did i like it" etc

Leonel noticed his expression the panic, the guilt twisting his features.

"What happened?" he asked softly. "Did he make you feel uncomfortable?"

I froze. My chest tightened. Shit. What if I hurt him? What if he hates me now?

Cassian finally looked upat Leonel, then at me. His voice was quiet, shaky. "...No. I didn’t feel revolted. Or bad."

He swallowed hard. "And that’s what’s concerning me."

Both of us stared at him.

He stood abruptly, voice rising with panic. "I liked it when you kissed me, Leonel. My heart fluttered. But I liked it when Aiden kissed me too - my heart stopped, then raced like crazy. I-I’m a player. I’m so shit."

And before either of us could respond, he turned and ran out of the library, footsteps echoing down the empty hall.

Silence.

Leonel watched him go, then turned to me, voice sharp. "Look what you did. Now he thinks he’s some kind of villain for liking us both."

"How’s that my fault?" I shot back, defensive. "I just... couldn’t control it. It was past my limits. And you - you kept doing stuff too! Marking him, barging into his room -"

"I know," Leonel cut in, quieter now. He looked at me, really looked at me. "You wouldn’t be able to stay with Cassian if you had to keep hiding how you feel. Right?"

I frowned. "Of course not. I might not be able to stay with him at all if I can’t be honest."

I blinked, realization dawning. "Wait..." I stared at him. "Why aren’t you punching me?"

Leonel’s eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me," I said, voice low. "Remember when Cassian told you Lucian kissed his hand? You looked like you wanted to murder him. If Lucian had been standing right there, you’d have broken his jaw."

I stepped closer. "But I just kissed Cassian. Left a mark. Practically claimed him right in front of you and you’re not even mad. Why?"

Leonel went very still. His jaw worked. He looked away, toward the door Cassian had vanished through.

"That’s because -" he started, voice rough, then stopped. Swallowed hard. "I -"

He didn’t finish.

He wasn’t angry.

Not really.

And as I looked at him really looked I saw it in his eyes the same exhaustion, the same ache I’d been carrying for months. Not rage. Not betrayal. Just... recognition.

Because the truth hit us both at the same time, soft and heavy like a stone dropped in still water

We’d never been jealous of each other .

We were jealous for Cassian.

Leonel and I- we’d been best friends for a long time before he met Cassian and 3 of us went on being besties . We’d shared memories, failed exams, stupid inside jokes, and each other’s worst days. We knew how the other’s mind worked. Knew when to push, when to back off, when to throw a punch or a blanket.

And yeah, we both loved Cassian.

But not in the same way.

Leonel loved him like fire, intense, protective, all-consuming. He wanted to shield him from the world, mark him, keep him safe, even if it meant scaring everyone else away.

I loved him like home, steady, quiet, always there. I wanted him to laugh, to breathe, to feel like he belonged even when he was falling apart.

And Cassian?

He needed both .

He leaned into Leonel when the world felt like it was closing in.

He leaned into me when he just needed to feel normal.

We’d both noticed it. We both know Cassian’s fear of us 3 separating

We’d never talked about it. Never admitted it out loud. To be honest, i don’t think we are going to talk about this now either

But we know it.

And that’s why Leonel didn’t punch me.

Because he saw it the same fear in my eyes that he’d been hiding in his own mirror.

The fear that if we kept pretending, we’d lose Cassian to silence.

Or worse, lose each of us three.